Automatic discharge valve



} se l? 192s. 1,600,361

C. H. RANKIN AUTOMATIC mscrmnea VALVE.

Filed Dec. 6, 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 anew;

Sept. 21 1926;

c. H. RANKIN AUTOMATIC DISCHARGE VALVE r/// & L 4 y 7 w f.

Filed Dec. 6, 1919 wvmtoz Patented Sept. 21, 1926.

UNITED STATES'PATENT OFFICE.

CARL H. RANKIN, OF WELLSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, OF ONE-FOURTH TO CHARLES JAMES PUB/DIE PRATT, OF LONDON, ENG- LAND.

AUTOMATIC mscnaaen vALvn. v

7 Application filed December 6, 1919. Serial No. 842,887.

In my pending application 'on feeding mechanlsms, Serial No. '323,35l, filed September 13, 1919, there is disclosed means for intermittently feeding lumpsjor charges ofmolten material such as glass from a heating tank or the like, the feeding being cf ,fected under pressure applied by means of a reciprocating plunger working above an outlet nozzle or opening inthe mouth of the tank. g

The present invention is an improved automatic discharge valve ,or mechanism capable of use on a machine of the type dis-j closed in said application. z

The objects of the present, invention are to generally improve the discharging members and also produce a better operation, and will be more fully apparent fromthe description which follows.

avertical section of the discharge valveor mechanism, in closed position. Fig. 2 is a similar partial view with the parts -in open position. Figs. 3 and 4 are details in plan and elevation of one of the valve members.

ig. 5 is a section on theline 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Referring specifically to the drawings, indicates the neck of 'a glass tank or the like which contains the molten material in-.

dicated at B, and-is provided with an outlet mouth or opening C from which thematerial is discharged into molds orthe like, in the same manner as described in my pending application. These necks are commonly 2 found on glass tanks, and need no extended description. Some kind ,of cutoff mechanism will be associated with these parts, such for example -as the cutoff devices disclosed in my said application, although the particular form of said mechanism is not material to the present invention. which relates to the means for controlling the flow or feed of the metal from theneck. A frame X with a cross-piece Y hinged at 12 thereto, supports the parts to be described, 'saidframe extending above the neck.

, 8 is a plunger, and 7 is a cylinder surrounding thev same. through an opening in the top of the neck. and are made of refractory material." The lower end of the plunger 8 works toward and from a tapered throat 11 whichv leads.

to the mouth C, and the cylinder 7 works to and from a seat or surface 10 at the top of said throat. The plunger -8 is connected admitted through pipes would perhaps be In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is These parts dependby a rod 5 to a cylinder B?, an at one end with compressed air ,through'a pipe A and at the D", whereby the piston and plunger. may be raised or lowered. r

The cylinder 7 is connected by rods 4 to 6 to pistons C and C which work in cylinders B and B to one A and A and to the other end through whereby the pistons and thecylinder 7 are raised or lowered.

One piston and cylinder enough for the pur ose but two are considered to be better. he flow of compressed air to there'spective ends of the cylinders may be controlled by any' suitable mechanism, such for example as the valve actuating mechanism disclosed in my pending application Serial No. 323,946, filed September 15, 1919, the purpose being to reciprocate the plunger and the cylinder up and down at proper times according to the operation of the charging mechanism as a whole. The cylinders aresupport'ed upon the cross-bar Y, and to the stroke of each piston, each cylinder is provided with a movable head indicated respectively at E, E and E which may be adjusted up and down by screw stems S, which heads act as stops for the movement of the piston, the pipes A A and A communicating withbores extending through said heads. The cylinder 7 is provided with holes 9 through the same which admit hot gases from the space in the upper part of the neck above the glass or other material to the space between the cylinder 7 and the piston 8. This is of some importance as it keeps the parts at a uniform temperature to that of the chilling of the latter within the cylinder.

As described in my said application No. 323,351, the present devices will discharge a predetermined amount of molten material in the form of a lump, at each operation. The amount is determined by the length of stroke of members 7 and 8. In operation, when compressed air is admitted to the bottom of the cylinders. B and B it lifts the c linder 7 from. the seat 10, and at or about tli e same time the plunger 8 is lifted by admitting air to the bottom of the cylinder 13*, and the molten material flows in under thev cylinder and plunger as indicated in Fig.

(piston\C which works in" a this cylinder is supplied other end through a' pipe' end of which air is molten glass and prevents pipes "D? and D vary the length of glass through the mouth 2. Then the cylinder 7 is forced down to its seat, cutting ofi' thefiow from the neck to the outlet, and this isfollowed by the depression ofthe'plunger 8 as shown in Fig. 1, forcing out a lump or. charge, of C. These opera tions are repeated in proper time as will be understood.

One advantage of'the cylinder 7 is that it acts to prevent flow of impurities from the top surface of the. metal into the discharge outlet. It is known that most impurities float on the top surface of the metal, and by means of this cylinder the charges are drawn from the.botto1n of the neck, the impurities being cut off, since the cylinder never rises above said surface. Another advantage exists with respect to replacement orrepair. If the plunger 8 is to'be replaced, as it must be from time to time, the cylinder 7 islowered to closed position, which cuts off the flow, and the plunger 8 can then be withdrawn or lifted out without disturbingsaidcylinder. Or if the cylinder is to be replaced, the plunger 8 can be lowered sufficiently to close theoutlet, and

then the cylinder 7 can be lifted out and a new cylinder inserted. This is important, because the valve'm'cmbers can be changed without discharging or chilling themolten material in the tank.

The changes referred to are conveniently effected by the hinging of the cross bar Y at 12. Thus the rods 4, 5 and 6 can be disconnected from the cylinder 7 and piston 8 and the bar Y and the cylinders, etc. carried thereby can be swung around, on'the hinge 12 out of the way, der'or piston can be changed or removed as desired.

The operation of the discharging mechanism, briefly referred to above, may be further elucidated as follows, since it forms in effect a new method of discharging or feeding a predetermined quota or charge of molten glass at each operation.

It will be noted that the cylinder 7 is open at the top to the atmosphere, and consequently when the cylinder drops to closedposition, as shown in Fig. 1, it segregates or cuts off a quota or charge therein, and also relieves the charge of the pressure of the glass in the tank. The surface of the quota is then subjected only to atmospheric pressure, and the flow through the orifice C is consequently a gravity flow accelerated by the manipulation of the rod-like member or plunger 8, the action of what analogous to the action of a punty with a charge of glass mounted on or adhering to the end thereof. Inasmuch as the upper surface of the segregated quota is not confined the member 8 does not increase the pressure to which this quota is subjected except by entering the quota and displacing so that said cylin-' which is somea portion thereof and thereby'increasing the head of the quota itself, by causing a relative rise thereof in the cylinder 7. The delivery of the segregatediquota is thereby controlled by themanipulation of the plunger or rod 8 rather than by a direct forcing action such as would occur by the descent of a plunger of the same diameter as" the interior of the cylinder 7. The downward movement of the plunger occasions a downward movement of' the quota due to a mechanical entrainment which is accentuated by the cohesion and'adhesion of the glass, so that a downward movement of the lunger accelerates the flow through the orice, and this acceleration may be modified varying the extent and speed of movement' of the member 8. Also upward movement of the plunger will act to retard or check the flow through the orifice. This control .is accomplished by manipulation of the member 8, and the pressure on the charge is not materially varied, and the discharge is more effective and'is subjected to better control because the charge is relieved of the head or pressure of the glass within the tank, the gravity head ofthecharge itself beingyrelatively small and not sufiicient to offset or resist the entraining. action of the plunger.-

' The surface of the segregated quota follows the movement of the member 8,'as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. As the plunger moves down, the surface assumes the shape indicated in Fig; '1, that is somewhat concave, and when the plunger moves up the surface assumes a convex shapeas shown in Fig. 2. The surface or skin tension of'the glass contributes to this action, and consequently the surface acts somewhat like a diaphragm, assisting the plunger in moving glass through the orifice when it descends, and in causing a reverse flow or stop when the plunger ascends/ The proper control of the plunger thereof accelerates orretards the flow of the quota or char e from'the orifice without varying the flui pressure to which the charge is subjected. Adhering and cohering characteristics. of molten glass make it possible for a. rod or 'punty-like member, such as 8, to roduce the desired result, as distinguished rom a forcible'ejection suchas would beproduced by a piston giving a positive pressure ejection.

In this connection it may be explained that in glass' machines it is impossible to work successfully with close clearances for the purpose of controlling flow of molten glass, whereby a rodlspaced from a cylinder is superior in its action to a close fitting piston, and the actioncontrolled to govern'the size and shape of the I delivered charge. Ina glass machine, the advantages of droppinga charge as a of the rod may beshown in Fig. 1 are well understood as compared with a solid stream of stalactite form, since the latter causes a large shear mark. This desirable result is accomplished by control of the rod 8 by fluid pressure in connection with the diaphragm-like action, above referred to, and is comparable to the dropping action of'a punty in the hands of a workman, and is not possible with a piston working with a close clearance, as has been suggested in the prior art. Reference has already been made. above, to the fact that the amount of the charge or segregated quota can be variedby variation in the lengthof stroke of tl e members 7 and 8.

I claim I I i 1. The combination with a tank for molten material, having a discharge outlet'and a seat around said outlet, of a plunger mova ble in the tank toward and om said outlet, to eject material therefrom, anda tubular cut-off member surroundingsai'd plunger and movable to and from said seat, said cut-ofi' member having an opening above the level of material in the tank to admit gases to the space between the plunger and 'said member. i r

2. The. combination with a tank for molten material, havinga discharge outlet, of a plunger movable in the tank, toward and from said outlet, a reciprocating cut-oft member surrrounding said plunger, fluid pressure cylinders provided with piston.

connected to said plunger and member respectively, and means to vary the stroke of the pistons. I 1

A 3. The combination with atank-for molten material, having a discharge outlet, of a plunger movable in the tank, toward and from said out-let, -a reciprocating cu't-ofi member surrounding said plunger, fluid pressure cylinders provided with pistons connected to said plunger and member respectively, and means to vary the stroke of the pistons, said means comprising adjustable heads in the cylinders, to stop the move ment of the pistons at'desired points.

4. The combination with a tank for molten material, havinga dischargeoutlet, ofa plunger movable in the. tank to and from said outlet, to eject material therefrom, said plunger being movable vto contact with the-wall around saidoutlet to close thesame, and a cut-off member surrounding and spaced from said plunger and movable to and from said outlet and: adapted to close said outlet when moved .to contact-V with the wall surrounding same.

The combination with the neck of a tank for molten'material, said neck having a discharge mouth in-the bottom thereof, of a plunger working through the top of the neck to and from said mouth and adapted to close same, and a tubular cut-ofi' member surrounding and spaced from said plunger the receptacle, relieving the and working through the top ofthe neck, to and from contact with the bottom of neck around said mouth.

6,. In combination with a receptacle for molten glass having a delivery orifice formed in the bottom thereof, a. plunger located above and recipro'cable toward andawav from said orifice, a sleeve surroundingsaiil plunger and movable to different positions with relation to said orifice, and means for periodically reciprocating said plunger.

7. In combination with a receptacle for molten glasshaving aysubmerged delivery orifice formed therein, a plunger projecting into the glass contained within said receptacle andfreciprocable toward and away from said orifice, a sleeve surrounding said plunger and movable toward and away from said orifice, meanslxforeriodically reciprocating said plungeit and means for moving said sleeve.

8. In\- combination with a receptacle for molten glass having a submerged flow orifice therein a reciprocable lunger movable toward and away from sai orifice, a reciprocable'sleeve surrounding the orifice end ofsaid plunger and movable toward and away from said orifice, ,and means for reciprocating both said plunger and said sleeve.

.9. In combination with a receptacle adapted to contain a body of molten glass, and having a How orifice formed therein, a moi?- able sleeve extending into the body of glass contained in the receptacle for accumulating a quota of glass from said body, a ,plung er extending freely through said sleeve and into said quota and means for moving said plunger so that the end thereof beyond said sleeve moves into and out of said orifice. I

10. In combination withv a receptacle adapted to contain a bod of molten glass and having a flow orifice ormed in the bottom thereof, a sleeve extending downwardly through said body and in substantial alignment with said orifice, a plunger extending freely through said sleeve, and means for periodically reciprocating said plunger to periodically move the lower end thereof be yond the confines of said sleev i 11. In combination with a receptacle adapted to contain a' body of molten glass, and having a flow orifice formed therein, a sleeve projecting into said'receptacle and extending into said body in proximity to said orifice, a reciprocal plunger extending freely through said sleeve, and means for periodically moving the free end of "the plunger into said orifice. i V

12. The method of delivering a charge of molten glass from a re'ceptacleprovided with a flow orifice, which consists in segregating a quota of glass from the body and within segregated quota of the pressure of the body of glass, and causing the mold charged, formed from lib;

said quota, to assume the desired shape by moving a punty-like member towards an away from the is attached to the quota.

13. The method of delivering mold charges, which consists in segregating a quota of molten glass from a batchof such glass retained above the flow orifice, and in simultaneously reducing the pressure on the quota, then in causing the mold charge delivered from the quota to assume the desired shape upon issuing through the orifice by moving a punty-like member towards and away from the orifice while attached to the quota. r

14. The method of delivering mold charges from a receptacle containing a body of molten glass and provided with a submerged orifice, which consists in segregating a quota of glass from the body immediately above the orifice, and in simultaneously reducing the pressure on the quota to retard the flow through the orifice, then in causing the charge deliveredfrom the quota through the orifice tovassume the desired shape by moving a punty-like-member extending into the quota, towards and away from the orifice. v

15. The method of delivering mold charges from a receptacle containing a body of molten glass and provided with a submerged .fiow orifice,-which consists in accumulating a quota of glass of determined size from the body of the glass, simultaneously moving the accumulating quota through the body and away from the orifice, in moving the quota through the body toward the orifice, in'segregating the quota from the body and in delivering glass from the quota through the orifice without subjecting the quota to variations in fluid pressure.

, 16. The method of delivering mold charges from a receptacle containing a body of molten glass and having a flow orifice formed therein, which consists in accumulating and segregating a determined quota of glass from the body at a pointadjacent the orifice, and in simultaneously reducing the pressure of the glass over the flow orifice, then in controlling the flow from the quota through the orifice by mechanically depressing or elevating the surface of the quota whereby a diaphragm-like action is obtained. 7

17. In combination with a receptacle adapted to contain a body of molten glass and having a flow orifice formed therein, means extending into the body of glass and Y movable from and toward the orifice to accumulate a quota of glass from the body,

flow orifice whilethe same glass and means adapted to extend into the segregated quota and movable toward and away from the orifice to control the therefrom.

18. In combination adapted to containa body of molten glass and having a flow orifice formed therein, variably movable means extending into the contained in the receptacle and movaccumulate and segregate a quota of glass from the body of glass and variably movable means associated with said firstmentioned means and extending into the; segregated quota and movable toward and awayfrom the orifice to control the flow therefrom.

' 19. In combination with a receptacle adapted to contain a bod of molten glass and having a flow orifices ormed inthe bottomthereof, a charge-acoumulatin element extending into the glass within t e receptacle and open at'ts lower end, a member extending through said element and into the glass within the receptacle, means for moving said element and said member relatively to each other and away from the orities to accumulate a charge of molten glass and toward the orifice to segregate the charge and control its delivery through the orifice. p

' 20. The method of controlling the flow 0t molten glass from amass of molten glass located above a submerged 'flow orifice, which consists in assisting the accumulation of a quota of molten glass within a sleeve, projecting into said mass to a point immediately above the flow orifice, by the upward movement of a punty-like member extending freel into the sleeve, and controlling the flow of molten glass from the quota through the orifice b moving the member so that its lower en projects beyond the lower end of the sleeve.

21. The method of controlling. the fiow of molten glass from. a mass of molten glass located above asubmerged flow orifice, which consists in assisting the accumulation of a quota of molten glass within the lower end of a sleeve,.which pro'ects into the mass to a point immediately a ove the flow orifice, by the upward movement of a puntylike member which extends into the sleeve, and then.controlling the flow of molten able from and toward the orifice to glass from the quota through 'theorifice by moving the lower end of said member downwardly and into said orifice.

nature.

with a receptacle CAR HI' A'NKIN." 

